In a concerning
incident at Brindisi Airport in southern Italy,
184 passengers and crew aboard a Ryanair Boeing
jet were evacuated after the aircraft caught fire while taxiing for takeoff.
The emergency prompted a halt in air traffic for several hours at the airport
on Thursday.
A spokesperson for
the Irish budget carrier, which operates Europe’s
largest fleet of aircraft, confirmed that the plane had been scheduled to fly
from Brindisi to the northern Italian city of Turin.
"Flight
FR8826 from Brindisi to Turin (3rd Oct) was delayed this morning after cabin
crew observed fumes on the outside of the aircraft. Passengers were disembarked
without incident and returned to the terminal by bus,” Ryanair said in a
statement given to CNN.
The airline also
confirmed that a replacement aircraft was provided, allowing passengers to
continue to their destination after a few hours. The airport’s website
indicated that it reopened roughly three hours after the incendiary incident occurred.
This wasn’t even the
week’s first aviation mishap involving Ryanair’s Boeing planes. On Tuesday,
another aircraft experienced a tire blowout upon landing at Milan Bergamo
Airport, temporarily shutting down the airport in the process.
In both cases,
Ryanair assured the public that all passengers were unharmed. "Passengers
disembarked normally, and the aircraft was inspected by engineers," the
airline told CNN at the time.
Following these
back-to-back incidents and pointing to a number of earlier accidents, several
Italian lawmakers have called for a thorough investigation into Ryanair’s
safety record.
Andrea Caroppo and
Mauro D’Attis, members of Italy’s lower house of parliament and the ruling Forza
Italia party, have requested a senate hearing with the National Civil Aviation
Authority (ENAC) to address these safety concerns.
"This
morning, at Brindisi airport, a new accident occurred, yet another, on a
Ryanair plane," Caroppo, who is also vice president of the lower
parliamentary house’s Transport Commission, said in a statement.
“We have therefore
asked for an urgent hearing in the Transport Commission at the Chamber of ENAC
leaders, with a focus on the safety of Ryanair flights, which—it is worth
remembering—is the leading carrier in Italy for passenger traffic,” the
statement said.
The lawmakers also
cited additional Ryanair incidents in recent memory, including a flight in May
from Bari to London that had to turn around due to technical issues and a
separate emergency landing made in Luxembourg in May after a fire broke out on
board a flight from Bologna to Brussels.
“And these are
just some of the many, too many accidents that have involved Ryanair in recent
months, in Italy and Europe,” the statement went on to say.
As of now, ENAC
has confirmed that it will be launching probes into the two most recent
incidents separately.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
